"Help yourself to happiness!" That's the new advertising slogan of Golden Corral, a popular chain of buffet restaurants.
Awww, shucks. I'm really moved. Golden Corral cares about my happiness.
Please forgive me if I sound ungrateful, but I reject this message. By suggesting that I can find happiness through its buffet line, the restaurant mistakenly assumes that I must be unhappy to begin with. People who are already happy don't need to look for happiness, right? They already have it. Only people who lack happiness need to look for it (in this case through food).
Well, I've got news for you, Golden Corral: I'm happy without you, thank you very much. I don't need your help to find happiness.
The message also influences people who are (already) happy to doubt their happiness. "Gee, I thought I was happy, but maybe I'm not as happy as I thought. Maybe I can fix my problem with macaroni and cheese."
Finally, think about how the slogan, "Help Yourself To Happiness" feeds the consumer's fragile ego. It says you can help YOURSELF to happiness. "You are so powerful, you wealthy and wise consumer! Look at you. You are SOOOOO in charge of your destiny. Come on over to our restaurant (with your ten dollar bill) and we'll let you flex your eating muscles."
In case you haven't already figured it out, the advertising industry casts illusions. "Consume our product and you'll feel healthy, happy, powerful, and wise. Our product is the solution to your problem (whether you knew you had a problem or not)."
That's why you have to be vigilant. Take all advertising messages captive. Pay attention. Any time advertisers promise you happiness or power through the use of their products, reject the message. There is only one true source of satisfaction in life, and it can't be found in a restaurant or on a grocery store shelf.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Legalism is A Killjoy
God gave mankind Ten Commandments, and then man wrote another 600+ laws into the Torah to facilitate keeping the original Ten Commandments. Why? Because having rules doesn’t guarantee that a person will be able to follow the rules.
That principle certainly applies to dieting. In the short-term, you feel great when you start a diet. But eventually, the rules and regulations of the diet rob you of your joy. Dieting sucks up all your coping energy and thoughts of food and eating occupy your mind more than they should. Thoughts about food even displace your thoughts about God.
Whether you’re talking about spiritual matters or the way you eat, legalism leads to self-judgment and self-condemnation. “I’m good if I follow the rules. I’m bad if I don’t.” That’s why my own pastor, Mark McAdow, said “Legalism is a killjoy,” in his sermon a few months ago. Legalism steals your joy.
If legalism steals your joy, what restores your joy? Real joy is found in the Lord—not the laws of dieting or even the laws of the Old Testament.
Think about the definition of grace. It means nothing that you do (whether you follow the laws or not) can make God love you more or less. He is love and He loves you no matter what. Thankfully, your value to God is not based on your ability to follow the laws.
So, the take-home message is don’t worry about what you drink or eat. Look at the birds. They don’t worry (as it says in the gospel of Matthew). Instead, focus on your Savior, eat to His glory when you feel the hunger pangs God gave you, eat to fill physical and not emotional needs, and turn to God for the rest.
That principle certainly applies to dieting. In the short-term, you feel great when you start a diet. But eventually, the rules and regulations of the diet rob you of your joy. Dieting sucks up all your coping energy and thoughts of food and eating occupy your mind more than they should. Thoughts about food even displace your thoughts about God.
Whether you’re talking about spiritual matters or the way you eat, legalism leads to self-judgment and self-condemnation. “I’m good if I follow the rules. I’m bad if I don’t.” That’s why my own pastor, Mark McAdow, said “Legalism is a killjoy,” in his sermon a few months ago. Legalism steals your joy.
If legalism steals your joy, what restores your joy? Real joy is found in the Lord—not the laws of dieting or even the laws of the Old Testament.
Think about the definition of grace. It means nothing that you do (whether you follow the laws or not) can make God love you more or less. He is love and He loves you no matter what. Thankfully, your value to God is not based on your ability to follow the laws.
So, the take-home message is don’t worry about what you drink or eat. Look at the birds. They don’t worry (as it says in the gospel of Matthew). Instead, focus on your Savior, eat to His glory when you feel the hunger pangs God gave you, eat to fill physical and not emotional needs, and turn to God for the rest.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A Blogger's Prayer
Heavenly Father, You said where two or more are gathered in Your name, You'd be in our midst. In this blog, we have more than that, so we qualify. You also said we could ask for anything in line with Your will and You'd give it to us. Knowing Your nature (You're merciful, loving, and forgiving), we believe it's in Your will to heal us of our physical, emotional, and spiritual burdens, not just as they relate to our weight, but in general. We ask for forgiveness of our sins and removal of any barrier to our receiving healing and revelation knowledge. Remove anything that was not on us when You first imagined us. Any spirit of negativity, depression, anxiety, unbelief, perfectionism---anything that You believe hurts us. And give us a spirit of openness and humility so we can receive Your revelation knowledge with open minds. We thank You in advance for the healing. Amen.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Truth, Lies, and Immortal Mexicans
On one of his recent TV broadcasts, Pastor Matthew Hagee (John's son) told a funny story. When he was three, his little sister was crying her eyes out because an elderly family member had died and gone to Heaven, and she realized the person was never coming back. She was afraid she’d die and go to Heaven, too.
To console his sister, Matthew, in his infinite three year old wisdom, put his arm around his baby sister and confidently said, “Don't worry sis, we're not Christians like daddy, we're Mexicans like mommy, and Mexicans NEVER die!” His sister stopped crying immediately and said, “Thanks, brother!”
Pastor Hagee rightfully called his words “a lie delivered with confidence.” He was talking about how we must be careful to discern the truth from the lies in this information-packed world. Just because certain information makes us feel better, we shouldn’t automatically accept it as “truth.”
How do we discern the truth from the lies in terms of our weight loss issues? I believe the answer involves recalling the nature of God as it’s demonstrated in the Bible. Is the weight loss message consistent with the nature of God? Some people confidently speak in the name of God and religion to disseminate information about how or what we should eat without checking that information against the nature of God.
In case you don’t know it, God is love, everything He does is rooted in His love for you, and He is merciful, slow to anger, and quick to forgive. He wants desperately for you to repent and return to Him, no matter what you did to separate yourself from Him. His a priori concern is to have a restored relationship with you, not to make you skinny or condemn you if you don’t eat “right.”
One diet plan went as far as to suggest that you jeopardize your salvation if you eat in such a way that’s disobedient to God. Come on! Is that consistent with the nature of God? Would God condemn you for disobedience because you ate an unnecessary donut, or would he say, “Suzie, what’s wrong? Are you sad? What was it that led you to try to find solace in a donut? Come to me and I will heal you.” I believe it’s the latter.
Please take my advice. Filter the information you hear about diet through what you know about God. Does the message bring forth the fruit of the spirit? Does it center on love and peace and joy and relationship, or does it engender fear, unfounded guilt, shame, and depression? If it’s the latter, close your ears and run the other way.
To console his sister, Matthew, in his infinite three year old wisdom, put his arm around his baby sister and confidently said, “Don't worry sis, we're not Christians like daddy, we're Mexicans like mommy, and Mexicans NEVER die!” His sister stopped crying immediately and said, “Thanks, brother!”
Pastor Hagee rightfully called his words “a lie delivered with confidence.” He was talking about how we must be careful to discern the truth from the lies in this information-packed world. Just because certain information makes us feel better, we shouldn’t automatically accept it as “truth.”
How do we discern the truth from the lies in terms of our weight loss issues? I believe the answer involves recalling the nature of God as it’s demonstrated in the Bible. Is the weight loss message consistent with the nature of God? Some people confidently speak in the name of God and religion to disseminate information about how or what we should eat without checking that information against the nature of God.
In case you don’t know it, God is love, everything He does is rooted in His love for you, and He is merciful, slow to anger, and quick to forgive. He wants desperately for you to repent and return to Him, no matter what you did to separate yourself from Him. His a priori concern is to have a restored relationship with you, not to make you skinny or condemn you if you don’t eat “right.”
One diet plan went as far as to suggest that you jeopardize your salvation if you eat in such a way that’s disobedient to God. Come on! Is that consistent with the nature of God? Would God condemn you for disobedience because you ate an unnecessary donut, or would he say, “Suzie, what’s wrong? Are you sad? What was it that led you to try to find solace in a donut? Come to me and I will heal you.” I believe it’s the latter.
Please take my advice. Filter the information you hear about diet through what you know about God. Does the message bring forth the fruit of the spirit? Does it center on love and peace and joy and relationship, or does it engender fear, unfounded guilt, shame, and depression? If it’s the latter, close your ears and run the other way.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Body Language
You probably recall that I’m a Pain Management subspecialist, but you may or may not know that my primary area of interest is Osteopathic Manipulation as a pain reduction tool. In that field, my main mentors are Ed Stiles D.O. (the 2009 recipient of the “A.T. Still award,” which is the highest award in Osteopathy), his main Oklahoma City protege, Micha Sale P.T., and Ross Pope D.O.
One of the points that Dr. Stiles makes is that we must read between the lines of what patients say, as many times their emotional strife translates into physical pain. For example, while I am manipulating a patient, if the patient says, “My back feels confused…like it doesn’t know which way to go” then the patient may be broadcasting his inner feelings, which are “I feel confused…I don’t know which way to go.”
These were the exact words spoken by a patient of mine last year. As I continued to speak with and manipulate this young man, I realized he was at a crossroads in his career, not knowing which path to choose, and this stress and confusion manifested as back pain. He was literally carrying his emotional burden on his back.
Likewise, if I notice while manipulating that a person’s muscles feel tight in the chest wall area, as though he or she can’t expand the chest to get a big breath in, I might ask, “Is there something that took your breath away?” “Do you need to get something off your chest?” Or, “Are you holding your breath because you’re afraid of something?” Many times, as the person begins to “unload” by dialoguing with me as I manipulate, her muscles loosen up and I can proceed with the manipulation. Otherwise, I’m fighting against the patient’s body.
The same thing may apply to how a person views her relationship with food. If she says, “My eating is out of control,” she may really mean, “I feel out of control in general.” Or, if she says, “I was bad today (in reference to eating),” then, deep down, she may truly believe, “I feel like I am a BAD person, in general."
What about you? What kind of words do you use when you communicate your physical feelings and your thoughts and emotions? If you want to find out what emotions and beliefs underlie your tendency to eat for emotional reasons (or the emotions that underlie your physical pain), then pay attention to your vocabulary. It reveals more than you know.
One of the points that Dr. Stiles makes is that we must read between the lines of what patients say, as many times their emotional strife translates into physical pain. For example, while I am manipulating a patient, if the patient says, “My back feels confused…like it doesn’t know which way to go” then the patient may be broadcasting his inner feelings, which are “I feel confused…I don’t know which way to go.”
These were the exact words spoken by a patient of mine last year. As I continued to speak with and manipulate this young man, I realized he was at a crossroads in his career, not knowing which path to choose, and this stress and confusion manifested as back pain. He was literally carrying his emotional burden on his back.
Likewise, if I notice while manipulating that a person’s muscles feel tight in the chest wall area, as though he or she can’t expand the chest to get a big breath in, I might ask, “Is there something that took your breath away?” “Do you need to get something off your chest?” Or, “Are you holding your breath because you’re afraid of something?” Many times, as the person begins to “unload” by dialoguing with me as I manipulate, her muscles loosen up and I can proceed with the manipulation. Otherwise, I’m fighting against the patient’s body.
The same thing may apply to how a person views her relationship with food. If she says, “My eating is out of control,” she may really mean, “I feel out of control in general.” Or, if she says, “I was bad today (in reference to eating),” then, deep down, she may truly believe, “I feel like I am a BAD person, in general."
What about you? What kind of words do you use when you communicate your physical feelings and your thoughts and emotions? If you want to find out what emotions and beliefs underlie your tendency to eat for emotional reasons (or the emotions that underlie your physical pain), then pay attention to your vocabulary. It reveals more than you know.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
What’s In The Cup Is What Comes Out Of The Cup (Overcoming Unforgiveness)
Do you fly off the handle easily? Do you over-react to things that should only mildly annoy you? Do you walk around with a scowl on your face all the time? If so, perhaps your current angry responses are being triggered by repressed anger from the past.
On one of his TV broadcasts, Pastor John Hagee said, “What’s in the cup is what comes out of the cup.” He was talking about what motivates our behavior. If you have anger within you (e.g. from repressed negative experiences or from family inheritance), anger will come out of you.
To learn how to manage your emotions more effectively, prayerfully seek the root of those emotions, such as anger, depression, anxiety, etc. Otherwise, your repressed emotions may become stirred up and indirectly destroy your current relationships (not to mention trigger you to over-eat and engage in other self-destructive activities).
Just as David said in Psalm 139:23, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts,” unite with God in prayer and search for these hidden, destructive memories. Ask God to reveal them at a rate that you can handle. Ask for mercy.
Were those around you as a child angry all the time? Did they abuse you, neglect you, or have low self-esteem and pass that on to you? Was there generational sin that was passed down to you? Soul ties of negativity? Anger? Anxiety? Ask for revelation knowledge about these things, and you will receive it.
Whether or not your offenders deserve your forgiveness is irrelevant. They don’t even have to know that you forgave them if you don’t want to know. You can even forgive them if they’re dead! Forgiveness is all about YOU feeling better (not THEM) and it doesn’t affect your offenders’ destiny. Your offenders will be judged by God the same way, whether you forgive them or not.
On one of his TV broadcasts, Pastor John Hagee said, “What’s in the cup is what comes out of the cup.” He was talking about what motivates our behavior. If you have anger within you (e.g. from repressed negative experiences or from family inheritance), anger will come out of you.
To learn how to manage your emotions more effectively, prayerfully seek the root of those emotions, such as anger, depression, anxiety, etc. Otherwise, your repressed emotions may become stirred up and indirectly destroy your current relationships (not to mention trigger you to over-eat and engage in other self-destructive activities).
Just as David said in Psalm 139:23, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts,” unite with God in prayer and search for these hidden, destructive memories. Ask God to reveal them at a rate that you can handle. Ask for mercy.
Were those around you as a child angry all the time? Did they abuse you, neglect you, or have low self-esteem and pass that on to you? Was there generational sin that was passed down to you? Soul ties of negativity? Anger? Anxiety? Ask for revelation knowledge about these things, and you will receive it.
Whether or not your offenders deserve your forgiveness is irrelevant. They don’t even have to know that you forgave them if you don’t want to know. You can even forgive them if they’re dead! Forgiveness is all about YOU feeling better (not THEM) and it doesn’t affect your offenders’ destiny. Your offenders will be judged by God the same way, whether you forgive them or not.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
“Doctor, I Keep Playing The Song, but I Just Can’t Get It Out of My Head”
My husband loves to listen to music. But, every once in a while, he gets stuck in a rut and seems to listen to the same song over and over again. Recently, he's been on a Rod Stewart kick, playing "I Don't Wanna Talk About It" more times than I care to hear it (though I like the song).
When I pointed the quirk out to him, he replied, “I don’t understand...I keep playing the song, but I just can’t get it out of my head! What should I do, doctor?” He was well aware of the irony. The more you play the song, the harder it is to get the words out of your head.
He has a dry sense of humor and was messing with me. So I messed back. “Play a different song, like the Tiny Tim song from Spongebob Squarepants. That will be fifty dollars, please, Mr. Hancock."
What is the message? If you feel angry, depressed, anxious, stupid, lonely, or insignificant, or if you've been over-eating, examine the songs you've been playing in your head. Have you been thinking about the people you're mad at or the things you did wrong in the past? Or how you've been taken advantage of? Or, overlooked? Forgotten? Those thoughts may trigger you to eat food you're not hungry for, not to mention destroy your health in other ways by causing emotional and physical stress.
Though it may be hard to do at times, you can change the recording in your head. Read, listen to, and believe the wonderful things God says about you in Scripture. Listen to praise songs and dwell on God's goodness. Forgive and pray for the people you're mad at. Even if it takes extra energy and feels unnatural, do it anyway. It can help your thoughts and emotions to become more positive and it can help decrease your tendency to eat for the wrong reasons.
When I pointed the quirk out to him, he replied, “I don’t understand...I keep playing the song, but I just can’t get it out of my head! What should I do, doctor?” He was well aware of the irony. The more you play the song, the harder it is to get the words out of your head.
He has a dry sense of humor and was messing with me. So I messed back. “Play a different song, like the Tiny Tim song from Spongebob Squarepants. That will be fifty dollars, please, Mr. Hancock."
What is the message? If you feel angry, depressed, anxious, stupid, lonely, or insignificant, or if you've been over-eating, examine the songs you've been playing in your head. Have you been thinking about the people you're mad at or the things you did wrong in the past? Or how you've been taken advantage of? Or, overlooked? Forgotten? Those thoughts may trigger you to eat food you're not hungry for, not to mention destroy your health in other ways by causing emotional and physical stress.
Though it may be hard to do at times, you can change the recording in your head. Read, listen to, and believe the wonderful things God says about you in Scripture. Listen to praise songs and dwell on God's goodness. Forgive and pray for the people you're mad at. Even if it takes extra energy and feels unnatural, do it anyway. It can help your thoughts and emotions to become more positive and it can help decrease your tendency to eat for the wrong reasons.
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